Pisa in one day

Pisa is an ancient city, first Greek, then Etruscan and Roman; a great Maritime Republic and finally part of the Medici Grand Duchy of Tuscany.

Pisa developed its own architectural style by blending classical and oriental forms. Great Italian Gothic sculpture was also born at Pisa with Nicola Pisano’s school which produced Giovanni Pisano, Arnolfo da Cambia, and Andrea and Nino Pisano.

From the early 11th to the late 14th centuries Pisa was one of the greatest and most active Italian centers of art. Proof of this is the remarkable group of buildings constituted by the Cathedral, the Baptistery, the Leaning Tower and the adjacent Cemetery which, in their unspoiled isolation, form one of the most solemn and enchanting corners in all of Italy.

We cannot even attempt to list the works of art produced by this extraordinary flowering in Pisa: from the superb bronze Doors by Bonanno (late 12th century) to the Pulpit by Giovanni Pisano (1310) in the Cathedral; from the mosaics, to the paintings by Cimabue, Andrea del Santo, Beccafumi, and Sodoma; from the inlaid woodwork in the choir, to the Tomb which Tino da Camaino sculptured for the Emperor Henry VII, and to the incredible collection of Greek, Roman and medieval sculptures which throng the four sides of the 14th-15th century Cemetery beneath a veritable treasure-house of medieval frescoes. The chain of artistic miracles continues unbroken in architectural setting untouched by the passing of the centuries.

This is a guide to Pisa, for one day visit to the Piazza dei Miracoli and its famous Leaning Tower.